Yeasts are living organisms found almost everywhere, including on and in the human body. Yeasts can become problematic when their growth becomes uncontrolled. A yeast-free diet, which can be used to prevent the symptoms of yeast allergies and intolerance, may also be beneficial for people who regularly suffer from yeast infections. Due to the prevalence of yeast, it is important to know whether or not foods and spices, such as cinnamon, are safe in yeast-free diets.
Cinnamon and Yeast-Free Diets
In addition to eliminating foods that are commonly known to contain yeast, such as beer and bread, yeast-free diets also limit your intake of a number of foods that either promote the growth of yeast or may have yeasts growing on them. As these foods include most sweeteners, peanuts, grapes, dairy products and vinegar, it is often difficult to know which foods are permitted on a yeast-free diet. Cinnamon, with its semi-sweet flavor and multiple uses in baked goods, may seem like a potential candidate for exclusion from your diet when attempting to live without yeast. As cinnamon contains neither yeast nor glucose, it is okay for you to have cinnamon on a yeast-free diet.
Cinnamon and Yeast
Instead of containing yeast or contributing to its development, cinnamon may actually inhibit yeast and other potentially harmful microbes from growing on and in your body. Reviewing different spices, Peter Snyder of the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management in St. Paul, Minnesota found cinnamon to be one of the most effective at inhibiting the growth of yeast, bacteria and mold. Attributed to its cinnamaldehyde and eugenol content, cinnamon is not only yeast-free, but may prevent yeast from growing on other substances if added to a mixture.
Cinnamon, Glucose and Yeast
Due to their ability to grow on foods that do not contain yeast, it is possible to accidentally consume yeasts when following a yeast-free diet. Once in or on the body, yeasts require glucose to grow and proliferate. In addition to inhibiting the growth of yeast directly, cinnamon may also prevent its growth by helping your body to eliminate excess glucose. In a 2006 study, Bärbel Mang of the University of Hannover, Germany, and colleagues tested this effect, finding people who eat cinnamon daily to have lower blood glucose levels than those who do not. In addition, these researchers found this effect to become more pronounced with increasing blood glucose levels. This indicates that cinnamon may preferentially target excess glucose, thus limiting the fuel available for the growth and development of yeast.
Expert Insight
Cinnamon is safe on a yeast-free diet due to its lack of yeast and its ability to prevent the growth of yeast on cinnamon and in cinnamon-containing mixtures. Due to its yeast-inhibiting properties and ability to lower the amount of circulating glucose in your body, cinnamon is not only safe, but often recommended on a yeast-free diet. The University of Maryland Medical Center, for example, recommends that people who suffer from frequent yeast infections follow a yeast-free diet, limit their sugar consumption and increase their cinnamon intake due to its ability to inhibit the growth of yeast.
References
- Herb Wisdom: Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
- Health Food Express: Yeast-Free Diet
- Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management: Antimicrobial Effects of Spices and Herbs
- Women to Women: Guidelines for Following a Yeast-Free Diet
- "European Journal of Clinical Investigation"; Effects of a Cinnamon Extract on Plasma Glucose, HbA1c , and Serum Lipids in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2; Bärbel Mang et al.; April 2006
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Candidiasis
